Recovery

I just got back from my second trip to Joplin to help with the recovery efforts after the massive tornado that hit there on May 22nd. The first time I was there was two weeks after it happened and one of the things you noticed immediately was that there was not a leaf on any of the trees in the damaged area. Any tree left standing was literally just a bare stick in the ground.

This time I noticed something amazing as we drove into the devastated areas. Little tufts of leaves were growing on probably 90% of the trees. If you can recall your childhood science lessons, you will realize that for the tree to continue to grow, it must have leaves to get it's food but something much more powerful than a scientific explanation occurred to me. Nature immediately kicked in to survival mode after this tragedy and it proceeded to do what it needed to do to continue with life. God created the things of nature with this automatic response to move on past something that threatened their continued growth.

I must say that this response is exactly what I have seen in the people I have come in contact with in Joplin.  Their natural reaction has been to do what needed to be done to pick up and move on. Praise the Lord I have not had to deal with such physical devastation in my life so far but it has certainly made me examine my reaction to the things that cause me difficulty.

God has given each of us everything we require to push past our trials and continue on with life. We need only access this strength and power by trusting Him. Sounds simple enough, right? Oh but we are such stubborn creatures at times that we believe we must try to solve all troubles ourselves first, then when all else fails, call on the Lord.

The trees in Joplin didn't have to think about their recovery. They just did what God created them to do. Should we be any different?